TellTales The Walking Dead: The Final Season Ep 1 (Final Edit)
by Patrickrc95
Summary: Episode 1: Light in The Darkness. This FANFICTION builds off of some ideas for the NEXT installment that I've have been tinkering with for a while. The main Character is obviously Clementine, but the story also focuses heavily on a new Male Character with a similar upbringing to Clem; Tristan. To view next episode, go to my profile.
1. Chapter 1 Warm Welcome

**[IMPORTANT: MANY OF THE DIALOGUES AS THEY OCCUR IN THIS STORY ARE WRITTEN UNDER THE ASSUMPTION OF BEING ADAPTED INTO A GAME AND ARE MEANT TO BE VIEWED AS OPTIONAL BASED ON PLAYER CHOICE]**

 **Previously on The Walking Dead...**

During Clem's time in Richmond, Lingard was euthanized by Javier Garcia. Joan escaped, and Clint was killed in cold blood by David Garcia. After finding out about Conrad's death, Tripp survived the shooting that followed, but failed to escape death a second time. In the end...Javi and Clem split up (Javi went after Gabe and David, and Clem went after Kate). Kate wound up getting separated from the rest of the group. David died after being bitten, forcing Gabe to put him down before he turned.

 **Chapter 1.**

Warm Welcome.

 **Flashback. Tristan's Perspective:**

Tristan was 10 years old. Before the outbreak, he lived with his family in Baltimore. He had an older brother who was five years older than him. His name was Justin. The two brothers had a mother whose name was Laura. They also had a father by the name of Jackson who was in the military. About eight months before the outbreak, Tristan and them received news that Jackson, the father, had died out in the field of battle trying to save his fellow servicemen. The news of Jackson's death leaves Tristan and his family devastated. As Tristan is being given the news, he is standing in front of the open doorway to his house; his mom and brother standing right beside him. His five-year-old sister Lisa is there as well. As tragic as the loss of a father figure had been for the young boy, it would pale in comparison to what was about to happen.

 **Present Day. Clementine's Perspective:**

Just before noon, Clementine is on her way to the Mc Carroll ranch just a few miles west of Richmond. Along the way, she comes across a walker eating a corpse along the side of the road. Just as it starts to turn around, Clementine pops it straight in the head. After that, she holsters her pistol and continues on her way, killing a shit ton of walkers as she goes. Clementine still has her hair in a short cut just like she asked Javier to give her before she left. She also still has the red jacket she brought with her from Richmond.

As Clementine makes her way through the countryside, she thinks about all of the things that shes been through up to this point: Meeting and losing Lee, being separated from Christa, traveling with the cabin group, leaving Kenny behind at Wellington **[Determinant]** , trouble with 'The New Frontier,' meeting Javier's family, and leaving Richmond to go after AJ. All of these events so far have led up to this moment. Clementine will not rest until she knows that AJ is safe and sound.

After dealing with the walkers, Clementine takes out her binoculars, and looks on at the ranch some distance ahead of her. Under her breath, she calmly says "Yea. That's gotta be it...the place that Dr. Lingard mentioned." From this range, Clementine can clearly see that the whole area is surrounded by an electrical fence. "Figures. No way I'm getting through there." She can also see the entrance to the facility, which is currently being guarded by two people; a full-grown man, and a teenage boy. With that, she realizes "Only way to reach AJ is through the front gate past those guards. Well shit. Guess I have no choice." She puts away the binoculars and continues down the road towards the gate.

* * *

Upon reaching the front gate. Clementine comes across the two guards she saw earlier. One of them is a teenage boy with blue eyes, and dark brown hair in a mushroom cut. He is barely any older than Clem by the looks of him. He has a blue jean jacket, and black tactical pants. He is carrying a crossbow in his hands. He also has a holstered revolver, and a machete on him. He is currently talking to a woman whose complaining about the fact the two guards won't let her in. The boy explains to her. "Look, mam. We have a process. Okay?"

The woman is pretty pissed about this. "Spare me that crap, you little shitbird! My people are starving out here!"

The other guard steps in and says "Hey. It's not like we don't give a shit. Alright? We just can't take anymore chances with all the bandits running around."

"Screw you!"

Clementine steps forward and asks the two guards "Do your people treat everyone like this? Just...turning them away without a second thought?"

The boy looks over at Clementine. Then, he delicately conveys his current position. "It's...complicated. Alright? We need to be careful about who we do and don't trust around here, especially after the incident that happened in Richmond last week. Look, I understand that the world is pretty shit right now. I get that. But I have to put the needs of my group first. I can't just simply go around giving free passes to everyone who comes here."

At this point Clementine is so close to reaching her goal of finding AJ that she cannot afford to screw it up now by causing trouble for anyone else like she did with Eli back at Prescott. She lets out a breath, and tells both of the guards "Look. I don't want any trouble. Okay? I'm just trying to find AJ."

The boy is surprised by this. "AJ? You mean...the toddler?"

"Well...Yea."

The boy looks over at the other guard and then back at Clementine. He then reluctantly asks her "D-Did Dr. Lingard send you here?"

Clem nods. "Uh...Yea. That's right."

The boy lets out a breath. "Okay. Normally I wouldn't do this, but...you just got my attention." He then pleadingly asks "Now if I take you up to see AJ, will you promise to be a good sport?"

Clementine solemnly replies "As long as I get to take AJ back with me, you have nothing to fear. Okay? I promise."

The boy will hold Clem to this statement, as he effects a smile. "Good." The boy gestures Clem to follow him. "Come on. Let's go."

The woman that the boy was talking to before is not happy about this. "What? You gotta be fucking kidding me!" She yells.

As the boy and Clem turn to leave, the other guard says "Take it easy ma'm."

"You people are just gonna let HER in but not ME? You sons of bitches!"

The guard then gets tough. "YOU don't even have family here! Alright? Now beat it!"

"What's her problem?" Clem silently asks.

The boy quietly responds "Just ignore them."

* * *

On the way over to the house at the end of the driveway, the boy tells Clem "Sorry about the 'Warm Welcome' back there. As I said before we need to be careful who we trust around these parts."

Clementine replies with understanding "No need to apologize. Okay?" She shrugs "I get it. I know how bad it is out there these days."

The boy noticed Clem's response. He thankfully says "Good. I'm glad you're willing to see reason. Name's...uh...Tristan, by the way."

"Clementine. Nice to meet you."

"You as well." After a short pause, Tristan delicately asks "Hey, uh...I hate to ask, but...what exactly is AJ to you? I mean...No offence, but you seem pretty young to be a mom."

This isn't the first time that Clementine has been told that about herself. That being the case, she reacts with sarcasm. "You're one to talk. A security guard at YOU'RE age? What are you? Like fourteen? Come on. Get real."

Tristan shrugs at this statement before giving a nonchalant reply. "Ah well...People who don't know me tend to underestimate me. Wouldn't be the first time somebody's done it."

Clementine seems to understand where he's coming from. "Hey man, people use to underestimate ME a lot too."

Tristan will remember that, as he affects a shrug. "I would imagine." Indeed. People have been underestimating Clementine's ability to survive for a good long while. Ever since her good friend Lee first showed up at her home several years before. After a moment of hesitation, Tristan breaks the silence by reiterating about AJ's parents. "So...uh...what DID happen with AJ's parents?"

"His REAL parents, Rebecca and Alvin, well...they died a long time ago. I've had to look after AJ by myself ever since."

Tristan is curious about this. "You weren't with him when WE took him in. You guys get separated?"

"Yea. We did. I was trying to help him get better from an illness, but 'The New Frontier' took him away from me. Haven't seen him since."

Tristan stops and regretfully says "Oh...I'm sorry, Clementine. I didn't mean to-."

"Hey, it wasn't your fault."

Tristan smiles and they both keep walking. He goes on to say "Ever since that Doctor Lingard brought him over here, I've been doing most of the work taking care of AJ. My mom pitches in every now again but...I'll tell you what though. Being a father for this kid, it's been one hell of a job, Clem." Sounding exhausted, he scoffs. "Now I know how my mom always felt taking care of me and my siblings."

Clem understandingly replies. "Hey, being a parent is NEVER easy. My friend Javi found that out the hard way."

Tristan smiles. "Huh. Yeah. I guess you're right."

They both continue towards the house at the end of the driveway.


	2. Chapter 2 Family Reunion

**Chapter 2.**

Family Reunion.

As they both arrive at the house, Clementine asks Tristan "This is where you guys live?"

"Yep. This is the place."

Clementine curiously asks him "So uh...What's it like living out here in the countryside?"

Tristan lets out a sigh. Then, with an exhausted voice, he tells her. "Well. I'll tell you one thing. The scenery out here...it's nice and all that, but uh...the people around here...well, they're not exactly MY cup of tea to be honest with you. Especially the ones who live off Ranch."

"I know what you mean. I've been to places like that myself."

Tristan will remember that. "Good to know."

Tristan pauses for a second, looking on at the house in front of him. He sees his little sister Lisa reading a book over on the front porch. Lisa is fairly short. She has dark brown hair and blue eyes, just like her brother. She also has an outfit that's similar to one that Clem had at her age, the only real difference being that Lisa's outfit is a dark shade of blue. Whereas Clementine's outfit back in the old days use to be white. Tristan's sister also has a red bow in her hair. Lisa had previously gotten her older brother through some rough times over the years. With this in mind, Tristan can't help but smile at his younger sibling. He looks back at Clem and says "Hey...uh...I'm gonna go in and grab AJ. You should stay out here, hang around for a bit. My little sister is sitting over there. Shes nice. Smart too. You can talk to her if you want. That guy with the beard over there by the fire-pit, HIS name is Marcin. He's cooking something for us. You can talk to him too if you wish."

As Tristan heads inside. Clementine takes some time to look around as she has never been to the Mc Carroll ranch before. Even so, from what she can see, the place is not all that different from Hershel's Farm which was the first place that Lee took Clementine after he found her back in the old days. After a moment or so, she walks over and speaks to Marcin. She says to him "Hey."

Marcin says "Oh hey there, kid. Need something?" After a short pause, he says "Haven't seen you around here before. You new to these parts?"

"Yes. I'm here to pick up AJ. My name is Clementine."

"Clementine, huh? Did a Dr. Lingard send ya here?"

Clem crosses her arms. "Uh. Yea. He did."

"Oh. Okay then."

Curious, Clem asks Marcin "What's your opinion of Tristan?"

"Tristan? He's one hell of a kid, I'll tell you what. For a fourteen-year-old, shit...boy is tough as can be; just like his dad and older brother. Packs one hell of a punch too. Or...so I've been told. Wouldn't wanna mess with HIM if I were you."

Clementine is curious about one of the points that Marcin made. "He has a brother?"

"Well, he use to at least. His name was Justin. He was five years older than him. Shame the poor guy had go out the way he did, but uh...well...you know how it is now-a-days."

Clementine nods with understanding. "Yea...it's...hard." It goes without saying. Clementine has been through a good amount of hardship and pain since the outbreak started. Nearly everyone that she's met has either died or run away from her. "Tell me about Lisa. Tristan's sister."

Marcin lightens up a little. "The girl? Shit. That kid is smart as hell. She's damn near as smart as her mom is. Fast learner too."

Clementine effects a surprised look. "For real?"

The man nods. "Yep. As real as it gets. She and her brother have been through a lot together. That's all I have to say about it."

Clementine then thoughtfully asks "Need any help with what you're doing?"

Marcin shrugs. "Nah. I'm good. I think Lisa might have somethin for ya though. She loves meetin new people. Hell, you might even make friends with her."

With nothing else to ask, Clementine says "I better go."

The man nonchalantly says. "Alright. See ya."

Clem walks around, and she notices one of the generators near the fence. From the meter displayed on the front, she can see that it's nearly out of fuel. She says "That generator doesn't look like it's gonna last much longer."

Clem then walks over to where Lisa is sitting. She politely greets her by saying "Hey."

The girl looks up and happily says "Oh. Hi there. What's your name?"

"I'm Clementine."

"I'm Lisa. It's nice to meet you."

"You too." Clementine then asks the girl "So uh...How old are you now?"

"Nine. I'll be ten next year. How old are YOU?"

"Thirteen."

"That's cool. My older brother is fourteen just so you know."

Clem shrugs with a smile "Yea, I figured. So, uh...what are you reading there?"

"It's a dinosaur book."

Clem affects a smile and says "Oh. Well that's cool."

The little girl nods. "Yea. It is. Although, I wish I had MORE books like this to read. I like reading about stuff." Lisa sets her book off to the side.

"I use to read a lot too when I was your age."

"Hmm." Clementine can still remember the early years of her childhood. She DID in fact use to read a lot in her spare time. Unlike most girls around her age at that point, Clem use to spend a lot of time outside in her tree-house rather than inside playing with dolls. Although she DID have a tea set. Come to think of it, Lisa sort of reminds Clem of HERSELF in some ways.

There was ONE other thing that Clem wanted to ask. "So uh...about your brother..."

This seems to catch Lisa's attention. "What about him?"

"Do you think he takes good care of you?"

The little girl smiles. "Oh. Uh...yea. He's nice."

"Well. I mean...do you think he does a good job of protecting you?"

Lisa nods. "Uh...Yea. He's good at protecting. Especially when it comes to dealing with walkers and stuff. Although I think he kinda overdoes it sometimes."

This seems to catch Clem's interest. She hasn't forgotten about her friend Kenny and how HE use to handle walkers and whatnot. Hell, he once took a crowbar to somebody that the two of them had trouble with, and he used it to bash that person's face in. With this in mind, Clem simply crosses her arms and says "Hmm."

As the thirteen-year-old is about to walk away, Lisa concernedly asks her "Hey...uh. Could you do me a favor, Clem?"

"What's that?"

"Um...My brother wanted me to ask if you would teach me how to shoot."

Clementine is caught off guard by this. "Why doesn't HE do it for ya?"

"Well...you see...he said he doesn't have much time between having to take care of the baby and standing guard at the entrance. Not that I really blame him or anything. It's okay."

Clementine smiles and nods. "Sure. I can do that."

"Yes!"

Clem looks left and right. "So uh...do you guy have like...a shooting range or anything like that?"

Lisa nods. "Uhuh. It's out back."

"Okay. Lets go then."

* * *

Once at the range. Lisa says to Clem "Here's the shooting range. Just like I said."

Here, Clem can see that there are three targets a good distance away. She asks Lisa "Do you have a gun to shoot with?"

Lisa frowns. "Um...No. Sorry. Do YOU have one I could barrow?"

Clem reaches into her pocket and pulls out the gun that Gabe had gifted to her earlier. She then decides to give it to Lisa. "Here you go, kid."

Lisa smiles. "Thanks."

"You ready?"

Lisa nods. She turns around, and looks over at the targets.

Clem then offers Lisa some advice. "Remember now, that gun your holding...it's just a thing. If it isn't loaded, it can't hurt anybody."

"Right."

"And don't worry. Even if you drop it, the gun won't fire on it's own."

"Right."

"Now...aim the gun at the target." Lisa does as she's told. "Relax your arms a little." She does. "And...fire." She pulls the trigger, but the bullet skims the bottom of the target. "A little bit low. Try aiming higher."

"Okay." Lisa aims a little higher, fires again, and the bullet hits the target almost dead-on. She looks back at Clem and smiles "I did it!" She then holds up her hand and says "High five." Clementine happily obliges. Indeed she DID have a lot of fun teaching the kid how to shoot. In fact, it really reminded Clem of how her friend Lee taught HER how to shoot back in the day.

The two of them hear Tristan's voice off to the side saying. "I see you two are getting along."

Clem looks back, and there is her now three-year-old kid, whom she hasn't seen in almost a year, being held by Tristan. "AJ," she says silently. She then walks towards him and takes the baby in her arms as she starts to tear up. With a lot of pent up emotion, she says "Thank goodness...you're...you're okay. I-I thought I'd lost you." Almost immediately, AJ starts to cry. It is a reaction that makes Clem worried. "My god. Does he...does he not...recognize me?"

Tristan offers a solution "Have you changed your appearance at all since you last saw him?"

"Uh...yea? A little bit."

Tristan hopefully tells her "Try talking to him or something. He'll come around."

Clem looks at AJ and says "AJ. Look at me. It's me, Clem." AJ responds by lowering his cries. Clem then decides to hum a tune to AJ. When she does, AJ stops crying.

Then...AJ utters the first word he ever spoke "Clem?" Clem is overwhelmed with emotion as she hugs AJ.

Tristan's mother, a blonde-haired blue-eyed woman is standing right next to him at this moment. She reacts by saying "Aww."

"I missed you. I missed you so much...My little Goofball," Clem joyfully says.

Tristan's mom takes a step forward and says "Sorry it took so long, Clementine. Tristan here likes to hear himself talk just like his father, so..."

Clem chuckles. "Are you being serious?"

Tristan is not amused. "Hardy har har. Very funny, Mom."

Clem then states "Well I better get going then. before it gets dark."

Tristan's voice chokes for a second. "Oh...uh...yea right." His mother hands Clem the baby pack and helps AJ into it.

"So...I guess...Thanks for...looking after AJ."

Tristan painfully replies "Uh...yea...yea you're uh...welcome."

Before Clem can leave, Tristan's mom can clearly see tears running down her son's face as she asks him "Hey, you alright there sport?"

Tristan wipes his face and says "I-I'm okay. I'm fine."

"You sure? I haven't seen you cry like that in a long time, kid."

Lisa then concernedly remarks "I think he's sad about letting AJ go."

The mom understands perfectly now. "Oh...I see."

Indeed, Tristan had clearly developed some sort of parental bond with AJ since he first arrived at the ranch a few months earlier. Clem seems to catch on to this as she reassures him "Look. I'm gonna take good care of him, okay? I promise. He'll be fine." This seems to lighten Tristan's mood a bit.

Just as Clem starts to walk away. Tristan's mother tells her son "You did good Tristan. You did REAL good. I'm proud of you."

Clem stops and looks back for a second. She can't help question whether or not she's doing the right thing for AJ. Moreover, she can't help but feel bad for Tristan. He had taken such good care of AJ, and now she's taking him back. Clem seems to recall an instance in which AJ was taken away from HER earlier (The New Frontier). She decides that Tristan deserves a little bit more time to say goodbye. She walks back over to Tristan and says "Hey...uh...on second thought, maybe we could stay for dinner."

Tristan is caught completely off guard by this. "For real?"

Clem nods. "Yea. For real. It really doesn't seem fair to take him away under such short notice. You deserve some additional time to say goodbye to him. I owe you that much."

Tristan will not forget Clementine's compassion. "Wow...uh...thanks...Clem."

"It's okay, Tristan. You've earned it. Let's go."

They all head to the front.


	3. Chapter 3 Looking Back

**Chapter 3.**

Looking Back.

Later that day, as the sun is about to set, Clementine is sitting down with Tristan and his group. They are all eating, making jokes, and telling stories. Clem just got done telling a funny story revolving around a situation between Lee and her friend Kenny from back in the day. Everyone besides Lisa (Who doesn't understand the Joke) laughs at the thought of what she just said.

Tristan himself rolls his eyes and says "Oh, give me a break. I bet Lee called him out for saying all that. Am I right?"

Clem replies by saying. "Probably."

As Tristan's mom effects a chuckle, Tristan himself goes on to tell Clem "I gotta say. This "Lee" fella you're talking about...sounds like a really cool guy."

Clem crosses her arms. "Yea...yea. He was."

"He...sortof...reminds me of someone I once knew."

Lisa seems to know who Tristan is talking about as she starts to tear up.

Clementine had previously told Tristan and his people about her parents demise and how Lee effectively gave his own life to save hers. Just then, Clementine remembers something she meant to tell Tristan earlier. "Hey...uh...Tristan?"

Tristan answers "Yea, Clem?"

"I uh...I meant to tell you...that generator over by the inner fence...it was running low on battery the last time I checked it."

Tristan is surprised. "What?" He groans and pinches between his eyes. "You've got to be kidding me." He looks over at Marcin with a tense look. "I thought I told you to refill the tank earlier today." Marcin looks away and doesn't say anything as he crosses his arms. Tristan is clearly agitated. "Oh, for the love of...am I like the only one who has any brains around here besides my mom and sister...and Clementine?"

One of the guards breaks the silence by saying "Don't look at me. I've been on duty the whole damn time."

Tristan looks at the guard, shakes his head, and groans. "Unbelievable."

Clem tells him. "Well, you know how people are these days."

Tristan scoffs. "I certainly do, Clementine. I most certainly do." Suddenly, a voice comes up over Tristan's walkie. He picks it up and says "What's going on?" The person on the other end answers indistinctly. "What? Are you being serious? Ugh. Alright. I'll be there in a second." He hangs up, looks back at the others, and says "Sorry, guys. I have to go. Duty calls, you know?"

Tristan's mom says "Alright."

Lisa says "See ya, Tristan."

Tristan nods and then walks away.

Clementine then gets up from her seat, walks over to Lisa and says "Hey, Lisa."

"Hey, Clem," She says in return.

"Are you doing okay?'

"Yea. I'm fine. Just..." She yawns. "Just a little tired. That's all."

"Don't stay up too long, Lisa."

"Okay."

Clementine then walks over to talk to Tristan's mom, who is sitting nearby. She says to Clem "Hey, Clementine."

Clem answers "Hey there."

"You thinking of crashing HERE for the night? You're more than welcome to stay."

Clem answers "I don't know. Maybe."

"That's alright. If you decide to stay, just let me know. We'll make room for ya."

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

"No problem."

Clem then walks over to where Tristan's standing near the inner gate. He is currently looking towards the outer gate through a pair of binoculars. Clem gets his attention by saying "Hey, Tristan."

He looks back and answers. "Oh...uh...Hey, Clem."

"You feeling okay? You seem pretty tense."

Tristan looks back at Clem and puts a finger to his lips as a gesture to stay quiet. He looks through his binoculars again. From here, he can see that there are bandits lining up at the front-gate entrance to the ranch. "Aw shit," he quietly says.

"What do you see?" asks Clem.

"Bandits, and a lot of em." Tristan notices something else. He silently says "Son...of a bitch!"

"What? What is it?" asks Clem.

"There's a woman with them, it's the same one that was complaining over at the gate earlier today."

Clem scoffs. "Well that's not surprising."

Tristan lowers the binoculars and looks over at Clem. "Hmm?"

"Considering that assholes tend to come in packs these days."

Tristan affects a smug look and scoffs. "You got me on that, Clementine. Anyway, I've dealt with these guys before. They're thieves...MONSTERS, Clem. They live off the suffering of other people. Anyone who gets in the way of their goals gets a bullet in their brain...or WORSE."

Clem is stunned. "What do you mean, 'Worse'?"

"Trust me." He shakes his head. "You do NOT want to know."

He points over towards the leader of the bandits. "THAT guy right there...That's their leader. As far I'm can tell, he's the worst out of all of them."

Clem notices something about the leader. "Hang on a second." She pulls out her own pair of binoculars, looks through them and can see that it is someone that she knew from a LONG time ago. It is a sight that leaves her shocked to the point of dread. She cringes as the sight of the person in front of her brings back horrifying memories.

 **Flashback:**

An eight-year-old Clementine is at her home in suburban Georgia. She is sleeping in her bed, when suddenly a noise wakes her up. She gets out of bed and looks over at the digital clock right next to the bed. "It's really late," She says. Clementine then walks over to her door and peaks it open. From here she can see that her biological mother and biological father (The same person who is now leading the bandits in the Present Day. NOT ED.) are arguing. The father is drunk. He is intimidating the mother and threatening her with a broken bottle. At this point Clem could try to sneak out of her room and call the police. Fearing for her mom's safety, however, Clem makes the decision to help her instead. She bursts out of her room and tackles her mom's assailant. Distracted, the biological father takes a blow to the head from Clem's mom. The mom then runs to the phone and calls the police. It all ends with Clem's father getting arrested. It is a dark moment in her life that she won't soon forget.

 **Present Day:**

Tristan places a hand on Clem's shoulder and asks her. "Clem? Clem...you okay?"

Clem snaps out of her troubled state. "Uh...yea...yea. I'm...I'm fine."

"You sure? You look like you've seen a ghost or something. Is there something wrong?"

Clem hesitates. She then decides to tell Tristan at least part of why she's feeling the way she is right now. "Actually...yes. There is."

"What's up?"

Clem takes a breath. "That man down there...the leader of the bandits...I know him...or DID at least. He hurt me and my family a long time ago...like BEFORE shit went south for everyone. It was...pretty bad. T-That's all I can say."

Tristan crosses his arms. "You're kidding." After a short pause, Tristan lets out a sigh. "Well shit. I'm sorry to hear about that, Clementine. I'd hate to be in YOUR position right now." They both look on at what's happening at the front entrance. "Are you...uh...are you gonna be okay?"

"You don't need to worry about me, Tristan. Your family needs you more than I do."

Tristan sighs. "Okay then. Anyhow, we need stay focused...try to figure out what to do about those bandits over there." After a short pause, Tristan says "Listen, Clem. Uh...Things are about to get pretty dicey here in a second. If you're...uh...willing...we could really use your help in fending these assholes off if necessary."

"Doesn't look like things are gonna end well here for either of us, man. We need to get out of here while we still can."

"Look, Clem. I understand that keeping AJ safe is important to you, but I need to look after MY family too. I'm sorry, Clem, but I can't lose anyone else. If you wanna leave, that's your call, but I'm staying right here."

Clem COULD stay behind and help Tristan protect his loved ones, or she can leave now for AJ's safety. She decides to leave NOW for AJ's safety. "I'm leaving NOW with AJ. I'm not taking ANY chances with him."

Tristan lets out a sigh. "If you say so." He points in a specific direction. "There's a back entrance over that way. You can escape through there." He then helps AJ back into the baby pack.

"Thanks for the tip, Tristan. And...uh...thanks again for..."

Gunshots are heard from a distance. Tristan calls out "Shit. They've opened fire. Clem, get out of here! Run!"

* * *

Clementine makes a run for the other gate. As she approaches the outer fence, she can see that a handful of walkers managed to get past the electrified barrier. Clem realizes "Dammit. The electricity's out. I need to take these guys out before I go." Using the knee-breaking technique, Clem manages to take care of the walkers on her way out. She passes through the gate, and heads into the forest with AJ.


	4. Chapter 4 First Night

**Chapter 4.**

First Night.

As Clem continues to make her way through the forest carrying AJ, she has to be smart in order to avoid various trees, branches, and logs that appear on her path to safety from the ranch. Suddenly, she stops to catch her breath, hoping that the worst may finally be over. Soon, however, she hears a noise off in the distance. At this point, the sun has already set, and now its gradually becoming more and more difficult to see whats going on around her. With this in mind, Clem decides to pull out her flashlight to help her see in front of her. At this moment, AJ starts to whimper. Clem comforts him by saying silently "Don't be scared AJ. Be brave."

As she continues on her way through the forest, Clem comes across a small open area filled with walkers. On queue, she prepares her knife, and uses the knee-breaker technique to take one of them down. Next, she pulls out her gun and start shooting. After just a few shots, Clem runs out of ammo. She reaches into her pocket to pull out the other gun, but she quickly remembers that she had left it with Lisa back at the ranch. "Dammit," she says. Clem manages to use the knee-breaker against two other walkers before realizes that she's completely surrounded. Suddenly, and out of nowhere, someone else charges into the open area and starts attacking the walkers. Clem is so astounded by what happens that she winds up dropping her flashlight.

At this point, Clem is practically blind due to the lack of visibility. From what little she could make out, however, the other person had used the knee-breaker against one walker and shot an arrow through another one's eye socket. Suddenly a revolver lands on the ground near Clem's feet. Soon after, she hear's the other person's voice saying "Pick up that gun, Clem. I'll cover you. Use it to fight the walkers." The voice sounded vaguely familiar to be sure, but Clem didn't have time to think about who the other person was at the time. She picks both her flashlight and the gun up off the ground and starts shooting. In the meantime, the other person stabs one of the walkers through the mouth and severs it's skull from the rest of it's body.

In no time at all, the two of them are able to take out all the walkers within the area by working together. By this time, Clem turns out to reveal the face of the other person by shining the flashlight on him. Clem is surprised to find out who the other person is. "Tristan?" she asks. Tristan is currently stomping down a walker's face lying on the ground until it's brains eventually spill out. He then takes a few short breaths before looking back at Clem and asking her. "Hey, you mind giving me my gun back?"

Clem hands back the revolver and says "You picked a good time to arrive."

Tristan nods "Huh. Well. Guess I did."

"What are you doing here anyway? Where's the rest of your group, man?"

Tristan crosses his arms, closes his eyes, and shakes his head; making it clear that he doesn't wanna talk about it. He then turns around and says "You should go ahead and loot the bodies. See what you can find. I'll do the same."

"Okay." Clem kneels down above some of the walkers to see if there is any loot on any of them. A couple of them turned out to have arrows stuck in their eye sockets from the fighting earlier. She winds up pulling each of them out and handing them over to Tristan so that he can craft fresh ones at a later point. Aside from the arrows, Clem doesn't seem to find much loot on any of the walkers, surprisingly. Soon, however, she does manage to come across a container filled with rolled up cannabis joints. Something to give to Javi, she thinks to herself.

Clem then walks over to Tristan who asks her "Hey. Are we good to go?"

"Yea. We're good."

"Alright. Good deal. We should keep moving. Find a safe spot to set up camp."

Clem shrugs. "If you say so."

* * *

As they continue moving deeper into the forest, Clem affects to ask Tristan "Mind telling me what's going on with you right now? You're being way too quiet, man."

Tristan shakes his head and exhales. "I just don't feel like talking right now, Clem. I'm not in the mood for anymore bullshit at the moment."

"Oh. Okay. By the way...I wanted to...erm...say thank you for saving me...and AJ."

Tristan notices this. "Oh uh...Yea...yea. Of course, Clem." He then stops walking, and takes a few short breaths. Finally, Tristan breaks his silence. "Look...Clem...my mom...she...she's dead. My mom is dead."

Clementine gasps and covers her mouth. "Oh...god." There is a short pause. "I-I'm so sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Clem. This wasn't your fault." He takes a breath. "Even if you had stayed with us back at the ranch, there was no way you could've stopped it from happening. If there's one person to blame here it's ME, Clem. Not you."

"What are talking about? You couldn't have known this was going to happen."

"No. You're missing the point, Clementine. I made a promise to look after my family, or what was left of it at the time. Now they're all dead. They're all fucking dead because I couldn't protect them." He scoffs. "Now the only one left of my family is me." His voice chokes.

This statement leaves Clem in shock. "Do you...need some space or-?"

Tristan turns around and growls before yelling aloud "Those fucking ANIMALS!"

AJ whimpers and Clem says silently "Hey. Take it easy. You're gonna attract walkers."

Tristan sighs "I'm sorry, Clem. I'm just sick of all this...this...fucking bullshit."

Then Clem asks. "What about your sister...Lisa? D-did SHE make it out at least?"

"Uh-uh. She was captured by the bandits...she might even...be-." His voice chokes.

Clem tries to place a hand on Tristan's shoulder, but he then gently pushes it away. He effects a smile. Clementine then asks him "What about the other members of your group? Didn't they help you out like at all?"

Tristan collects himself. "No. They were all captured and killed by the bandits. It was bad. It was Really REALLY bad, Clementine." He takes a deep breath.

"That's it...just...take a breath."

Tristan lets out his breath. "I need to stay focused; get my head out of the gutter. We should keep going." And so they do.

* * *

After a time, they come a cross an open area that's clear of walkers. Tristan then asks Clem's opinion. "What do ya think, Clem? Are we good here?"

Clem nods. "Yea, it'll do for tonight."

Not a moment later, a walker is spotted nearby. Tristan tells Clem "Hey, I'll take care of this one, Clem. You get the fire going." Tristan walks over to the walker and uses the knee-breaker move to take it down. In the meantime, Clem walk around the area and searches for resources like leaves and sticks to build the fire. Once that's done, she realizes that she doesn't have anything to make the fire catch. She then goes to Tristan who asks her "Hey, need some help?"

"Got anything to help start the fire?"

Tristan nods. "Sure, I'll handle it." He then pulls out his lighter, lights it up, and he uses it to get the fire going.

"Nice work. Anything else we need?"

"Uh...something to sit down on..."

Clem looks past Tristan, and notices a log nearby. She points to it.

Tristan looks back and says "Oh, uh right. Can you help out with this?"

"Sure." They then both work together to get the log closer to the fire to use for a seating arrangement. Once that's done, Clem lets out breath and says "Finally." She then sits down on the log and takes AJ out of the baby-pack before holding him.

Tristan sits down on the log next to Clementine, and says "Hey, Clem. I've been meaning to ask you about something. Do you...uh...got any friends in particular I should know about...you know...in...in Richmond?"

Clem answers "Like who?"

"I don't know. Anybody. Uh...besides Javi of course. I-I know things have changed a lot since the last time I was there a few months ago, what with the New Frontier taking over and all that. I just wanna make sure that there are still people over there that I can trust. You know?"

"Well...there is ONE friend I have."

"Oh yea? What's their name?"

"Gabe."

Tristan is curious about this. He crosses his arms. "Gabe...huh. What's he like?"

"I...erm-."

"Hey, it's alright. Talk to me, Clem."

"Gabe is...complicated."

"Tsk. 'Complicated.' That's a cute way a phrasing it. He in our age group?"

"Uh, yea. Well...I mean, he's kind of a dork, but...erm..." she lets out a breath and shakes her head. "I don't even know anymore."

Tristan will remember this. "Kind of a mixed bag. Am I right?"

Clem nods. "Yea. Yea. I guess so. Hey...uh...Tristan?"

"Yea?"

"I've been meaning to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Why did you come back for me and AJ? I mean...I'm grateful for you helping us out and all that, but we just met like a few hours ago and you barely even know me."

"I didn't know what else to do, Clementine. My mom is DEAD. My whole group is...fucking GONE. I had nothing left to care for. That's why I had to go after AJ. I couldn't risk losing anyone else." Tristan takes a breath. "I need a drink." He then takes a flask of alcohol out of his jacket.

Clem grins. "You seriously brought alcohol with you?"

"Heh. Well I never go anywhere without it." Clementine shakes her head, and Tristan takes a sip. He then looks over at Clem and asks her "Hey, you want some?"

"Sure, I'll have some." She sets AJ off to the side and grabs the flask. She takes a sip, and suddenly starts coughing. "Ugh. That's really strong."

Tristan smiles. "It's fucking alcohol, Clem. What else were you expecting?"

Clem clears her throat. "Smart-ass."

Tristan takes the flask back. "You know, Clem...sometimes I think about my first night on the road. At the time it was...just me...my mom...my sister...and my brother. We just...packed up all our shit and we left Baltimore for the countryside. Heh. I...uh remember...back in those early days, I was a nervous freaking wreck."

"For real?"

Tristan nods. "Yea. For real. Tsk. It's actually pretty funny now that I think about it. When it came to survival, all I knew how to do was things like...you know...running and...hiding and...crawling through vents...You know what I'm talking about?"

Clem seems to remember what things were like for her back when Lee was still around. "Yea. I've been there before."

"At one point, my brother taught me how to fire a gun among other things. He was like a mentor to me; taught me everything he knew about how to survive. If wasn't for...uh...my brother's guidance and all that, I probably wouldn't even be here right now."

Tristan's story sounds VERY familiar to Clem. It reminds her a lot about her relationship with Lee. It is a thought that leaves her in despair as she starts to tear up. Tristan seems to catch on to this as he effects to ask Clem "Hey, Are you okay?"

Clem is caught off guard as she tries to wipe her tears away "Uh...yea...yea. I'm...I'm fine. W-What..." Her voice chokes. "...happened to him?"

Tristan takes a deep breath. "Erm. I'd rather not get into it. All that matters is he's gone, Clem, and he's never coming back."

"Y-yea. I uh...I understand. Anyway, you mind looking after AJ while I take first watch?"

"Yea sure. Go right ahead." He takes AJ, and Clem walks to the edge of the camp and looks out for walkers. As Tristan is laying down with AJ in hand, he ponders his family's first night on the road after the outbreak began.


	5. Chapter 5 Light in the Darkness (Title)

**Chapter 5.**

Light in the Darkness

 **Flashback. Tristan's Perspective:**

Four Years ago, when the outbreak first started, a ten-year-old Tristan finds himself sleeping in his bedroom at his home in Baltimore, Maryland. By this point; him, his mother, his sister, and his brother are still in recovery after the supposed death of Jackson, the father figure. In the middle of the night, the brother Justin calls the house phone; waking Tristan up from his sleep. Tristan then picks up the house phone next to his bed and says "Hello?"

Through the phone, the brother answers back "Hey. It's Justin. Sorry to wake you, little brother, but somethings come up and I need you to listen carefully and do exactly as I say."

"Oh. Okay. Whatcha need?"

"Now, I need you to go downstairs and lock all the doors to the house. Once that's done, go back upstairs and check on our sister. Okay? I'm counting on you."

"Where's mom?"

"Don't worry about her. She's with me. Just need you to hold down the fort until we get back. You hear?"

"Yea. I hear ya."

"Okay good. Now, I gotta run. I'll see you in a bit. Stay safe, brother."

Tristan then gets out of bed, heads downstairs, and locks as many doors leading outside as he can. Before he can get to all of them, however, he turns out to find one of the doors swung wide open as a walker makes it's way in. Just as he is about to be overtaken by said walker, his sister Lisa walks over and hands him a blunt object which he then uses to finish the walker off. Soon afterwards, the two of them hear the front door unlocking. When it opens, Justin and Laura (the mother) both come in and can see the aftermath of the incident. Soon afterwards, the four of them gather up all of their belongings and then leave for the road. This was Tristan's last night in Baltimore.

 **Present Day. Clementine's Perspective:**

The following morning, Clementine wakes up to the sound of static on Tristan's talkie nearby. Suddenly, she hears a little girl's voice on it saying "Hello? Is anyone there? Tristan? Tristan, is that you?"

Clementine then scrapes herself off the ground shes laying on, and rubs her eyes. After that, she walks over to where Tristan's talkie is on the ground, picks it up, and speaks into it. "Uh...hello?"

The girl on the other end says "Hey. Is that you, Clementine?"

"Who is this exactly?"

"It's me...Lisa."

Clem is surprised by this. "Lisa? Really? Holy shit. Are...are you okay?"

Tristan wakes up from his sleep, and he gently sets AJ off to the side. Lisa, who is on the other end of the conversation, replies "Yea. Sure. I-I'm fine. Hey...is uh..is Tristan with you?" Tristan stands up and quickly walks over to where Clem is standing.

"Well...yea...he's uh...he's right here actually."

Clem hands the talkie over to Tristan and he asks his sister "Lisa, are you there? Lisa!"

"Tristan, is that you?" Lisa asks.

"Yes. It's me, Lisa. I'm right here." Before Tristan can say anything else, there is a noise on the other end of the conversation.

"Oh...uh...Wait. Hold on...someone's coming." Then the talkie cuts off.

Concerned, Tristan calls out "Lisa? Lisa, what happened? Lisa! Oh god dammit! The signal's gone!" He covers his face and says "Great. Now what am I suppose to do?"

Clem tries to calm him down. "Hey, just take it easy, Tristan. Okay? Just calm down."

"Calm down? Are you serious?" Tristan groans and pinches between his eyes again. "I was expecting something more helpful than that, Clementine. My little sister is still out there. Okay? She's still out there and I left her alone to die! How could I be so stupid?!" Tristan takes a breath and covers his face.

After a short pause, Clem walks up to him and says "Tristan." She sighs. "I understand that you're upset..."

Tristan cuts her off. "I have to find her." He looks at Clem. "WE have to find her, Clementine."

"Hey, In case you've forgotten, Tristan, your whole group just got wiped out by bandits yesterday. You don't stand a chance against those assholes."

"You don't think I'm aware of that? I have no choice, Clementine. Lisa is the only family I've got left. I need to get her back no-matter what it takes...even if it kills me." Tristan takes a breath and sits down. As Clem walks over to him, he calmly says "Look, I never told you this before, but Lisa saved my life once...back in the early days...before me and my family hit the road originally. Not only that, but she also got me through some really tough times on top of it. I owe her my life, Clem...if not more than that...for-for everything."

Clementine calmly says. "Look, Tristan. Even if we did try and find her, where the hell would we even start, man? Lisa could be anywhere by now."

As Clem speaks to him, Tristan takes a deep breath. He thinks for a moment, stands up, and says "Alright. I have an idea as to where she was taken, but...I need to be absolutely certain before we go there. I suggest we head back to the ranch to start with and see what we can find. If anyone else survived the attack, they could tell us what we need to know."

Clem smiles and nods. "Right. Good call."

Tristan rubs the back of his head. "Yea...and besides my mom still needs to be buried so..."

Clem crosses her arms. "Yea. That's also true."

After a short pause, Tristan lets out a breath, and says "Look Clem. I know how much AJ's life means to you. Hell, I don't really blame you for wanting to leave with AJ back at the ranch, but...in case something happens, I could really REALLY use your help this time around. Think I can trust you with that?"

Clem nods. "Yea. Sure. I uh...I kinda still owe you one for looking out for AJ and me before, so..."

Tristan effects a smile. "Yea. You're right. Thanks Clem."

Clementine nods, then she walks over and picks up the baby pack before putting it on. Tristan then picks up AJ and helps him into it.

Tristan then asks Clem "Are you ready?"

"Yea. Lets go." They both make their way back to the ranch.

* * *

As they arrive back at the ranch, Tristan looks on at the now burnt house in front of him, and he says "Ah man. Would you look at this place? What a fucking mess. All that hard work gone to waste...and for what?" He lets out a sigh. "As if killing my mother wasn't enough for those assholes."

"No use complaining about it now," says Clementine. "We got bigger fish to fry at the moment."

Tristan nods. "Yea. That's true." He looks over and sees his mother's corpse lying on the ground, which immediately puts him in a state of mourning as he slowly makes his way towards it.

Clementine follows after him. As Tristan kneels down over the corpse in front of him, Clementine crouches down right beside him and looks at the body as well. When she does, she notices the bullet hole in Tristan's mom's forehead. Clem lets out a sigh. "Ah hell," She says. "At least we know she didn't suffer."

Tristan noticed that. "Yea...yea. You're right. I know you're right, Clem." Tristan then leans over and closes his mother's eyes. They both stand up, and Tristan looks both ways and says "You should go ahead and search the area, Clem. I'll take care of the burial myself."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I need to do THIS part on my own. Talk to me when you're ready. Take your time and don't worry."

Clem shrugs. "If you say so." As Tristan goes through the process of burying his mom, Clementine walks around the area and finds a small book lying on the ground in front of her. She says "That's the book that Lisa was reading earlier." She picks it up. "I should give it back to her when we find her." Clem looks around some more and she finds a pistol lying on the ground. It's the same pistol that she gave Lisa earlier. She picks it up and takes it. Finally, Clem walks back over to where Tristan is, just as he is getting done digging the grave. "Hey, Tristan."

"Hey, Clem."

"Do you...need any help at all?"

Through a pained voice, Tristan says "Uh-uh. I've done this kind of thing before...for...uh...others you know? It's nothing new. So, uh...what have you found?"

Clem shrugs. "Not that much. Just a book and a pistol."

Tristan nods. "Hmm. Gotcha."

Clem lets out a sigh. "Alright. Well. If you need anything else, just...let me know. Okay?"

"Okay, Clem."

Clementine then walks over to the generator near the fence and says "Hmph. Well that figures."

As he fills up the grave, Tristan looks back at Clem and says "What figures?"

"The generator by the fence never got any fuel, did it? That's why the electrified fence went down before I left earlier I think."

Tristan is surprised by this. He looks the other way and thinks for a second. "Marcin."

"What?"

"Marcin, Clem. He was responsible for finding fuel for the generator to keep it running properly. We needed it in order to prevent the electrified fence from fizzling out."

Clementine crosses her arms. "Marcin never got around to refueling it. Huh."

"Yea. That's right." Tristan shakes his head. Then he says under his breath "Fucking asshole. The only reason we let him join us in the first place was because he provided us with fuel a while back. Enough to keep the generators running for weeks."

Clem is surprised. "Really?"

Tristan nods. "Ironic. Isn't it? To think that the very same person who provided my family fuel for protection, just up and decided to take it all away from us. Guy was a fucking dick." As he gets done filling the grave back up, Tristan throws his shovel down and takes a deep breath.

Clem walks over and asks "Is there...anything you wanna SAY or-?" Suddenly, Tristan starts to look around as if he had heard something. "Hey is there something wrong?"

Tristan holds his hand up as a gesture to stay quiet. He looks left and then right as if he's searching for something...or someone. Then, he looks forward and quietly tells Clem "Get your gun ready. He's here now." Clementine nods and draws her weapon. Afterwards, Tristan calls out "I know you're out there, Marcin! So just come on out and show yourself!" No response. Suddenly, Tristan notices a shadow over by the corner of the recently burnt house. The boy pulls out his gun. "I'm not playing around, Marcin. So get out here, NOW!"

Just then Clementine calls out "Better do as he says, asshole! Tristan here is NOT in a good mood today!" Tristan appreciates that as he looks over at Clem, and then back towards the corner.

Marcin comes out from behind the corner and says "Fucking hell. How the fuck did you know I was over here?"

Tristan tells him "Are you really that surprised about it? You've known me for good while, Marcin. I'm NOT STUPID. You of all people should know that! Now, answer me this. Why the fuck didn't you refuel the tank in the generator yesterday like you were suppose to? Huh?"

"What?"

"You heard what I said. So answer the fucking question, asshole!"

Marcin looks over at Clem and back at Tristan. "Well...to put it shortly...the bandits offered me a way out, and so I cut them a deal. All I had to do was let the power go down to lower the ranch's defenses, and THEY would do me a solid and spare my life."

Tristan is pissed off at this. "You fucking traitor!" He exclaims. "I knew you couldn't be trusted!"

Marcin says "Look. I made a choice, kid. If I hadn't let the power go out, I probably would've wound up getting tortured to hell by those men. I'm just...trying to survive here! Okay?"

"No! It is NOT okay! Every single person who died here at the ranch yesterday, did so because of YOU! There is NO EXCUSE for what you did! None at all! See? This is why I was ranked higher than you, you sack of shit! Why YOU took orders from ME and not the other way around! You fucking waste of-!" Tristan groans.

Clementine cuts in and smugly tells Tristan "Hey, you know what? Maybe THAT'S why he betrayed your group. He just didn't like having to take orders from a fourteen-year-old boy."

Tristan looks at Clem and effects a smirk. "Huh. Well that's an interesting thought." He looks back at Marcin. "Now, would you mind telling me where they took my sister?"

"What?"

"The bandits, you fuckhead! Where did they take my sister?!"

Marcin crosses his arms. After a short pause, he tells them "If you're looking for Lisa, she'd be at the slaughterhouse...just a few miles away from Richmond. That's where the bandits take most of their prisoners. Can't imagine she'd be anywhere else."

Tristan lets out a sigh. "Fucking figures."

"Okay. So...what? Are you just gonna kill me now? Is that it?"

Tristan looks back at Clem to see what she thinks, and Clem thinks the situation over. At this moment she COULD gesture Tristan to kill Marcin now, OR she can just let Marcin go. Clementine decides that killing Marcin just isn't worth it. She then lowers her gun and shakes her head. Tristan takes a breath and says "No...no." He holsters his gun. "We're done here. Let's go, Clementine."

As both Clem and Tristan start to walk away, Marcin asks them "So uh...that's it? You're just gonna let me go?"

Tristan stops, nods, and replies "Yea. That's right."

Marcin puts his hands on his hips and says "Well well...I guess you're not quite as tough as they said...are you, boy?"

Tristan turns around, and gives Marcin a death stare. Then he walks over towards him, and decks Marcin in the face; sending him to the ground and knocking him out cold instantly. Tristan then takes a few short breaths and says "Well...THAT felt pretty good."

As Tristan walks past her, Clem looks back at Marcin, who is unconscious. Then she looks over at Tristan and walks with him.


	6. Chapter 6 Road to Slaughter

**Chapter 6.**

Road to Slaughter

Some time later, as the day progresses, Tristan and Clementine continue to walk along an old paved road en route to the slaughterhouse. Along the way, Clementine asks Tristan "Hey...uh...Tristan?"

"Yea, Clem?" Tristan replies.

"How much longer until we reach the slaughterhouse?"

"I think we're getting pretty close actually. Not much further to go at this point."

"Oh. Okay." Still in the baby pack, AJ lets out a yawn. "You okay back there, Goofball?" Clementine asks.

Tristan looks back at Clem and smiles. "He's probably still tired from all the walking we did last night."

Clem nods. "Yea. I wouldn't doubt it. So, uh...how are you holding up from all of this?"

"I'm...uh...a little bit better...I guess. Just...erm..."

"What? Is there...something on your mind?" They both stop walking.

"It's...um..." Tristan clears his throat and crosses his arms. "Well...It's...It's complicated."

"Oh yea? Try me."

Through a pained voice, Tristan tells her "Well...you see...the place that...Marcin told us about...the uh...slaughterhouse...well, it's not...exactly a good place for a child to be in, especially one as young as my little sister. Okay?"

"How do you know that? Have you been there before?"

Tristan's voice chokes. "Uh...Yea...yea. I have."

There's a short pause. "And?"

"And...it was bad. Really REALLY bad. Like even WORSE than you think, Clementine. Hell, I barely even made it out the last time I was there. If I couldn't stand being in there for...THAT long way back when, I can't even imagine how my sister must feel right now. I'm worried about her, Clem. That's...uh...that's pretty much the gist of it. Know what I'm sayin?"

Clem's expression turns sad. "I know how you feel. After what happened with The New Frontier, and...not being able to see AJ for...so long...I know what it's like being separated from someone you care about." AJ coos. "You see, AJ's life is precious to me, just like how... Lisa...and her life are to you."

Tristan nods. "Yea. Yea, you're right, Clementine."

"See the problem...is that...in the world that we live in now, we just can't really expect everyone to survive in the end. Some people just...can't be saved no matter what you do."

"Yea. hear that." They both continue walking.

"Hey...uh...I wanted to ask...about what happened over at the ranch earlier today. D-do you think we made the right decision by letting Marcin live?"

Tristan thinks for a moment. "Uh...yea...yea. I think we did."

"Are you sure? I mean...you WERE pretty pissed when you found out about his betrayal and all that...weren't you?" They stop walking.

"Yea...well...I-I was at the time. But the thing is...even if I did kill Marcin, it wouldn't have made that much of a difference for me...or...anyone for that matter. Hell, my mom's already dead, Clementine. She's never coming back. Killing ONE person won't change anything. I just...just have to move on now, I guess."

"Well...we've all been THERE before."

Tristan appreciates that, as he looks over at Clem and smiles. "Hey, Clem...I uh...I've been meaning to...say thank you for...backing me up...over at the ranch."

Clem smiles at Tristan and says "No problem, man. We're...a team now."

"Thanks. I appreciate that." Tristan will not forget this as they both continue walking.

* * *

Later on, as Clem and Tristan continue on their way, they come across a highway with a bunch of cars parked along the middle of it. Upon arrival, Tristan points over at the cars and says "Hey, Clem. You see all these cars parked over here?"

As Clem catches up, she replies by saying "Yea. I see em."

"Weird. I don't think I've been on THIS road before. Have YOU?" Clementine shakes her head. Soon enough, Tristan notices a walker moving around next to one of the vehicles. The moment he sees it, Tristan sneaks over, takes out his machete, and he breaks the walker's knee. He then stabs it through the mouth, and he twists the blade; cutting the walker's head off.

Once Tristan is done, Clem walks over to him and says "Hey, Tristan."

"Hey, Clem. What's up?"

"I just wanted to ask...what exactly is our plan now?"

"Well...first, I wanted to search these vehicles for supplies real quick...see what we can find out here."

Clem nods. "Alright. Good idea."

Tristan crosses his arms. "And uh...after that...there's something else we need figure out as well. Just uh...l-let me know when you're ready...okay?"

"Okay."

Clementine searches the area for whatever supplies she can, and comes up empty. Once that's done, she walks over to Tristan and says "Hey, Tristan."

"Hey, Clementine. Did you find anything?" Tristan asks.

"No. There's nothing here. Place must already have been looted."

Tristan sighs. "Well...can't say I'm surprised."

"You wanted to talk to me about something?"

"Yea. That's right." Tristan points to a street sign nearby. "You see that sign over there? It says that this road leads toward Richmond, or 'New Richmond' as people call it now-a-days." He then points toward an exit sign along the side of the road. "There's another sign over there. Apparently, that road over there leads toward the slaughterhouse."

"Oh. Okay. So uh...what's the problem?"

"Well...you see...as I said before...the slaughterhouse isn't exactly a good place for little kids to be around. And...I'd rather not take any serious risks with AJ here with us. So I was thinking that uh...perhaps you could...drop him off back in Richmond...you know...just to be on the safe side?"

"Are you sure you wanna do that, Tristan? It could get dicey over there at the slaughterhouse."

Tristan noticed that. "I'll be fine. Okay, Clem? I can take care of myself for little while. Alright? We can meet up again once AJ is safe. Just...you know...trust me. Okay?"

At this point, Clem COULD head back to Richmond and drop off AJ first, so that she and Tristan can both meet up later on. Otherwise, they can all head over to the slaughterhouse immediately and get it over with. Clementine decides to play it safe and take AJ back to Richmond first. "Alright. I'm heading back to Richmond."

Tristan will remember this. "Okay. Good deal. Stay safe, Clementine...and uh...tell...Javi I said 'Hello'."

"Will do." Clementine nods at Tristan before making her way over to Richmond.

* * *

Upon arrival at Richmond, Clementine is greeted by Max who is standing up at the top of the gate. After bidding him a passive response. The gate is opened and Clementine enters Richmond.

 **Tristan's Perspective:**

Making his way through a forested area, Tristan finally arrives at his destination; the slaughterhouse, ready to find and rescue his sister once and for all.

 **Next Time on The Walking Dead...**

We'll continue to touch upon Tristan's past. Based on decisions previously made, Clementine sees a familiar face inside the slaughterhouse upon arrival. Then in a SHOCKING TWIST Tristan sees a familiar face upon entering through the front gates at Richmond.


End file.
